Peaceful Moment

In two weeks it will be a full year that I have been writing this blog and today is the first day I have sat down with a blank as to what to write. Yes, I will share my workouts, that is a common thread in my posts. As for where I will go with it, that is something both the reader and I will discover along the way.

Let’s see – I will start with the beginning. My Monday routine is taking shape well now starting with the 6:00 AM spin class. Today was a speed workout. Of the three sports that make up triathlon, cycling has been my strongest. This year I have worked quite a bit on my swimming and running to get stronger. I noticed two weeks before I left for the marathon that my cycling distance in class was not as far as it had been and my watts, or power measure, also had fallen off. That has continued since I have been back. Honestly, it is a bit frustrating. The class was a hard workout and I certainly felt it. Where my frustration came was knowing how hard I felt I was working, yet seeing lower watts and miles per hour on the screen. The statistics may have shown I was a bit slower, but I felt like I had finished one of the hardest workouts in spin class. I emailed my running coach later and we discussed adding more leg strengthening exercises in January. It is very possible that with all of the distance running I did training for the marathon, I may have affected my power strength.

After my class I headed to the pool. The cool water was great to jump in to after the hard class. I swam on my own and I was determined to keep my 100 meter pace up, which I did. How quickly my perspective has changed when I came in at 2:02 and felt I was slow. This summer I struggled to get to a 2:04 pace. In all I swam 1,600 meters. I felt good swimming, but I had a subtle feeling of fatigue. After swimming a hard 3,000 yesterday, I did not want to push it. Additionally I plan on swimming every day this week. Getting distance in will not be a problem.

As my day progressed I realized that the fatigue I felt in both workouts this morning was my body telling me something. Usually I can quickly tell – I may need rest, stretching, or to lighten up my intensity. Today I had no idea that it was a warning sign of something I have not experienced in four years. By the mid afternoon I began developing an ocular migraine. This was only the second time I have had one – it starts with white spots in my vision as if I had looked into a bright light. Once the spots go way and I can see clearly, the pain starts. Both have dissipated since I was able to go home early and take it easy.

When I was driving home, I began thinking what I would write about. As you can see, I did not get far in the thought process. What I can say is that even after a migraine that impaired my vision, I did not lose the joyful underlying feeling I have been experiencing. Ah, there is my day’s experience to share. To clean up a well know phrase: circumstances (read: poop if you will) happen. I am learning more and more that when my scheduled out day has a wrench – or migraine – thrown in it, getting worked up will only make the situation worse. It is what it is. And sometimes it is better to take in the peaceful moments of the day with my eyes closed while the headache goes away.